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Like all kids, I used to hate roller coasters. Eventually, with enough coaxing from my dad, and enough experiences that were no where near death, I succombed to the madness. I now must admit, as long as I don't exit the ride with a massive neckache, I really enjoy them. My mom says she loved coasters until she had kids. After that, she had something really important to be alive for, so she couldn't get on a coaster again.
Over Christmas, our family visited Disney World's Magic Kingdom with my husband's family. I got to ride the famous Space Mountain, an indoor dark coaster which I have always loved; and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, an even milder family coaster. My sister in law apparently hates coasters, but somehow we all dragged her onto Big Thunder, insisting that it was super mild. She screamed at me the ENTIRE ride that it WAS NOT MILD!!!! I worked at theme parks for four years, so perhaps my estimation of a ride's intensity is not typical.
The next day, Benjamin and I visited Universal Studios Orlando alone, and waited almost two hours in line for the new Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster. That ride LOOKED like death although it wasn't too bad besides the neckache. The crazy part is the lift "hill" is not a hill, it is a vertical cone in which you crank up to the top of the ride COMPLETELY vertical. The promo photo below makes it look angled, but it is completely vertical. Did I mention it was vertical?
The week before we visited Orlando, Benjamin and I went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas with my two youngest sisters and one of their friends. We got stuck on the Boomerang, at the top of the lift hill, facing down and backwards in a seated position, staring at the ground for just shy of an hour, ending the "stuckness" by actually evacuating the ride all the way down the metal grate steps to ground level.
Clearly, I've got a pretty strong stomach for coasters, despite no longer being a teenager. However, all this coaster riding in a single week, and my SIL's screaming protests about Big Thunder being NOT MILD!!! prompted me to do a tiny bit of wikipedia-ing.
Craziest Roller Coasters I have been on
Goliath - Six Flags Fiesta Texas
105 ft tall
80 ft largest drop
50 mph
5 inversions
2 min duration
4 max G force
Poltergeist - Six Flags Fiesta Texas
(one of my all time favorites)
78 ft tall
74 ft largest drop
60 mph
4 inversions
1:15 min duration
4.5 max G force
However, what I LOVE about this ride, is it is an acceleration coaster, which means instead of you chugging up this looong lift hill at the beginning, and whooshing down the drop on the other side, this ride POPS you out of the station, going from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds!!! That is the part I adore.
Superman - Six Flags Fiesta Texas
168 ft tall
149 ft largest drop
70 mph
6 inversions
2:35 min duraction
3.8 max G force
Our grand prize winner (which I have never ridden) Craziest Roller Coaster in Existence
Kingda Ka - Six Flags Great Adventure
456 ft tall
418 ft tallest drop
128 mph !!!
28 seconds duration
5.1 max G force
And check it out boys and girls, this too is an acceleration coaster. It goes from 0 to 128 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Now THAT is NOT a mild coaster!
Now for our Two Finalists, the Disney World favorites Space Mountain and Big Thunder
Space Mountain - Disney World / Land
(indoors and dark, makes a difference)
183 ft tall
65 ft highest drop
26.5 mph max speed
2.5 min duration
Drum roll please.....
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
50 ft tall (not 456)
3:18 min duration
35 mph max speed (not 128 or even 65)
no drops
no inversions
no G force
However believe it or not, of all the coasters I have mentioned, this is the ONLY one that someone has died on. The front locomotive had something go mechanically wrong, jammed, landed on the part of the coaster right behind it, killed the guy it landed on, derailed the coaster, and several other people were seriously injured. Crazy.
BTW, most roller coaster deaths are attributable to complete stupidity on the part of a rider (guest), and several to negligence of an employee. Rarely, rarely are incidents attributable to mechanical failure. Overall, more employees die from their own mistake or another employee's mistake, than guests. And of course, driving in your car to work every day is hundreds of times more life-threatening than riding in a roller coaster.
Anyway, nuff said. I will keep riding coasters as long as I and my body can take it. It's the type of thrill we were meant to experience all the time in the brilliant presence of God in heaven.
